PMD: Hunted
by PMD-Rokon
Summary: It wasn't uncommon for an exploration team to have enemies. But Chloe the Vulpix quickly learned that they weren't dealing with the common foe. Something was out there, something cruel and vengeful. And it wanted her and her team dead.
1. Chapter 1

Two creatures, a large gray one and a tiny pink one, squirmed against their bonds, crying out in pain as the sharp ropes cut into their skin. The world they had once loved had suddenly vanished without a trace, and before they knew it, they had been captured and brought here.

"They're not coming!" The gray one hissed at something hidden in the shadows. "They're smarter than that!"

"That's right!" The pink one agreed. "And you have no way of making them come here."

A growl was heard, and the two creatures screamed as the ropes tightened. The one who had captured them stepped out of the shadows, and they stared up at him, their expressions a mixture of fear and hatred.

"On the contrary, I'm afraid," he answered. "Whether I trick them into coming here, or smite them where they stand, I _will_ destroy Team Vulvee."

* * *

It was an early morning in Treasure Town, _too_ early for most Pokemon's likings, as the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Inside Sharpedo Bluff, six Pokemon slept peacefully. The six of them made up Team Vulvee: the leader, Chloe the Vulpix, her partner, Eevee, along with Meowth, Dratini, Grovyle, and Caz the Togetic.

They would have continued to slept, if it hadn't been for a knock at the door. It was ignored at first, after a pause, the knocking changed to more of an urgent tap.

Chloe opened her eyes, contemplating over whether or not it was worth it, before shutting them again and tucking her nose under one of her curly tails. "Meowth, get the door," She mumbled.

The cat Pokemon lifted his head up and glared at her, before crossing his arms defiantly and lying back down. "Eevee, get the door."

"Why can't one of you guys do it?" Eevee whined, not even opening her eyes.

The knocking came again, and Dratini peeked into their room. "Hey...someone's at the door."

Chloe sighed and was about to get up, when she heard Grovyle groan from the other room, "For the love of Arceus! _I'll _get the door!"

The sound of the door opening was heard, and almost immediately Chloe could hear someone speaking very quickly under their breath, with an irritated edge to their voice. Perhaps they weren't happy about being awake at this hour either.

"...I understand," Grovyle said finally. "Yes, I'll tell her right away. Alright. Thanks. Be seeing you, then." He closed the door with a sigh. "Chloe, get up, it was for you!"

"Who was it, and what'd they say?" Chloe asked, padding out of the bedroom she shared with Eevee and Meowth with shaky legs.

"Some leader you are," Meowth grumbled, following her out of the room. "Why can't Grovyle be leader, since you're so...irresponsible?" He was immediately clubbed on the back of the head, courtesy of Eevee.

"You take that back!" Eevee cried. "Chloe saved the world _twice_! And you did nothing to help!"

"Guys! Guys! Guys!" Chloe quickly got between them before things could get physical. "Anyway, go on, Grovyle."

"That was Chatot at the door," Grovyle explained. "He said that Lapras wants to meet us at Treasure Beach as soon as possible. He doesn't know why exactly, but he told me that Lapras seemed worried."

"Is the world in danger again?" If anyone else had said that, it would have come off as sarcastic, but coming from Dratini, the question was completely serious.

"Yes, just leave it to Team Vulvee to save the day," Meowth rolled his eyes. "Because we're obviously the _only_ able exploration team in the world."

Everyone ignored him, as usual.

"Well, in case there really is a problem, we should pack supplies that'll last us a few days, in case Lapras wants to take us somewhere," Chloe said thoughtfully. "Food, medicine stuff, the works."

"Excuse me, but why are we all up so early?" Caz asked sleepily as she flew into the room, her wings fluttering just enough to keep her feet from barely touching the ground. She had apparently slept through all the commotion from earlier.

"Pack your things, Caz!" Chloe told her brightly. "We're going to Treasure Beach!"

* * *

Lapras was pacing back and forth in the shallow water as they raced down the path to the beach, apparently lost in thought. However, his normally peaceful expression was pained and troubled. Chloe instinctually quickened her pace. Maybe something really was wrong.

"Lapras!" Chloe called, running towards him, the earth under her paws turning into sand as she reached the beach. Lapras jumped and blinked when he heard her, and when he turned around to see them, his expression was blank for a moment, but quickly turned to a warm smile.

"Team Vulvee reporting for duty!" Eevee said excitedly as she skidded to a stop, sending sand flying everywhere. The rest of the team shot glares at her as they shook the sand off themselves, but the ever-so oblivious Eevee took a seat beside Chloe and took no notice of them.

"Chloe, Eevee...and Grovyle," Lapras greeted them. "Hello again. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"So why'd you call us here?" Meowth asked bluntly. "Oh, wait, let me guess—someone we once trusted is really a bad guy and he's about to take over the world so it's up to us to stop him because we happened to be at the right place at the right time. Am I right?"

"Don't mind him, he's always like this," Chloe told Lapras. "But really, we're all curious, so why _are_ we here?"

"Well..." Lapras took a deep breath. "Over the past few days, I've been having...a terrible sense of dread, to say the least. It always happens whenever I think about Temporal Tower. I just can't shake off the feeling that something's wrong. Which is why I summoned you; to take you to the Hidden Land to investigate."

"_All_ of us?" Grovyle asked suspiciously. "But Lapras, I thought you said that Chloe, Eevee, and I were the only ones permitted to go to the Hidden Land."

"Yes, well..." Lapras shifted uncomfortably. "The more experienced Pokemon we have, the better, I suppose. I am the guardian of the Hidden Land, and because the Relic Fragment is no longer needed, I can make an exception."

_Something strange is going on here_, Chloe thought, and looking at Grovyle, she could tell that he was thinking the same thing. _Lapras isn't acting like himself. We should probably check out the Hidden Land, if that's what it takes to get him back to normal._

"We should probably get going," Lapras said nervously. "If something really is out there, I don't want it to be there for long."

"Right," Chloe agreed, nodding to her teammates. "Come on, guys."

* * *

"Is that the Sea of Time?" Dratini asked curiously as they neared the twisted-up waves. While everyone else had proceeded to lie down and relax for the long journey, she had spent nearly all of it eagerly asking Lapras questions.

"Yes," Lapras responded. "Once we enter it, I'll rise out of the water, and we'll be taken straight to the Hidden Land."

"You mean, you'll be able to fly?" Caz asked, looking a little frightened. "B-but, you're a water Pokemon, and you don't have wings..."

"Well...it's not flying, exactly," Lapras answered. "It's just...well, I can't really explain it. You'll have to see for yourself when it happens, which should be about...now!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he rose up into the air. Although they were surrounded by clouds, it was clear that they were no longer in the water. Meowth, Dratini, and Caz all let out little cries of surprise as they experienced the miracle for the first time. Even Chloe, Eevee, and Grovyle, who had seen this happen before, couldn't help feeling a bit of a thrill as the Sea of Time worked its magic.

However, this didn't completely smooth out the doubt that had worked its way into Chloe's mind. Grovyle sat down next to her, shooting Lapras a suspicious glance. "Something's wrong," he whispered to her. "You've noticed it too, haven't you? This isn't the same Lapras we met a year ago."

"I know," Chloe agreed, keeping her voice low as well. "I think this is bothering him more than he's letting on."

"Perhaps," Grovyle answered. "But I have a feeling there's something more dangerous going on here. Just keep your guard up, okay?" He rested his hand on her shoulder briefly before getting back up to sit next to Dratini.

_Keep my guard up...but against what? _Chloe wondered. _What does he mean by 'something more dangerous'? Lapras wouldn't hurt us..._

The transport Pokemon let out a gasp as a shudder ran through his body. Everyone let out a yelp as the shaking nearly made them fall off, flattening themselves against Lapras' back to keep from tumbling into the ocean far below.

"I'm so sorry!" Lapras cried. "That's _never_ happened before! I don't know what caused this...perhaps some turbulence...but I suggest holding on in case it happens again."

_Turbulence...? _Chloe thought doubtfully. No...it couldn't be. Turbulence was caused by rough patches of wind, or something like that. They were in the middle of crossing the Sea of Time; there _was_ no wind here. Surely Lapras would know that? In fact, know that she thought about it, that so-called 'turbulence' seemed to come from within Lapras, not from the air surrounding them. It was as if something...or some_one_, was trapped inside, struggling to get out.

"Hey, Lapras, are we there yet?" Eevee asked. "It _was_ a long time ago, but I don't remember it taking so long to get there..."

"Just be patient, Eevee," Lapras replied. "I'm sure we'll be there shortly."

_An imposter,_ Chloe realized. _This guy isn't acting like the Lapras we know because he_ isn't_ the Lapras we know! He's just another Big Bad luring us into a trap! Well, we took the bait, alright!_

Chloe scooted over to Grovyle, knowing that if there was anyone on board who would believe her, it was him. "Hey..." she began, trying to keep her voice calm. "You don't happen to have any Escape Orbs or something here, do you? Cause we need to get out of here, and fast."

"So you realized it, too?" Grovyle replied. "And for Arceus' sake, keep your voice down! I think we should just keep playing along until we figure out what this imposter is up to."

"But what if it's too late by then?" Chloe asked, struggling to keep composure.

"I don't know," Grovyle admitted. "But right now, it's our only plan, and the only choice we've got."

"Team Vulvee," Lapras spoke up. Chloe shivered at how alien the voice sounded to her now. "I'm afraid that I seem to have slightly missed my mark, and cannot go any further. We are now hovering just above the Hidden Land, so you will have to jump."

"Jump?!" Caz echoed, her voice a terrified squeak. She appeared to have forgotten that she had wings.

"Don't worry," Lapras assured her. "Like I said, we are_ just_ above it, so the fall will not damage you at all."

"Is that so?" Meowth challenged, one eyebrow raised suspiciously. "If we're only just above the Hidden Land, then why can't I see it when I look down?"

"Clouds, perhaps," Lapras answered. "Also, things can look different once you've passed through the Sea of Time."

_Lies, they're all lies,_ Chloe thought, anger boiling up inside of her, furious at being tricked so easily. _You guys_ _are smarter than this. You can't trust him!_

"I...I believe you, Lapras!" Eevee said, sounding a little hesitant but looking up at him cheerfully. "You wouldn't lie to us! Don't worry, we'll find whatever it is that's out there and put a stop to it!" She carefully made her way over to Lapras' side, peering over the edge cautiously.

Chloe stared at her partner in horror. Eevee wasn't...she couldn't be—! She looked at Grovyle desperately, who shook his head and mouthed '_wait_'.

Eevee bunched her muscles, preparing to jump...

_"DON'T DO IT!"_

Eevee gasped and nearly lost her balance, but fortunately managed to fall backwards. She turned towards who had yelled, which turned out to be...Lapras?

Lapras' eyes were squeezed shut, and he looked like he was struggling not to talk, but the words kept spilling out anyway. _"HE'S TRICKING ALL OF YOU! RUN, HIDE, ESCAPE, DO ANYTHING! JUST GET AWAY FROM HERE!" _Then he was silent.

Chloe wrapped her arms around Eevee, preventing her from going towards him. Everyone else quietly made their way over to Chloe and Grovyle, to where they were all clumped together, staring at Lapras fearfully.

After what seemed like forever, Lapras turned around to look at them, all smiles. "Well, it seems that my little secret got out," he said, his voice now much lower and raspy. "This host turned out to be not quite so weak after all. I almost completely lost control for a moment there."

"What have you done with Lapras?!" Chloe demanded.

"Lapras right here, perfectly fine," The imposter answered, gesturing to himself. "But I assure you, he's not getting out agai—" He broke off with a choked cry, twisting violently until his eyes went blank.

_"Team Vulvee, listen to me!" _ Lapras' real voice spilled out. _"You must destroy this imposter! I don't care if you kill me in the process; it has to be done! The Hidden Land is near, and you might be able to make it there if you jump to the far left! But _he_ must be dealt with first!"_

"Why are you asking us to do this?!" Eevee whimpered, starting to tear up. "We can't kill you, Lapras! We just can't!"

_"He'll kill me anyway if you don't," _Came Lapras' sad reply. _"I promise I won't hate you if you do. But you cannot let yourselves be tricked by this Pokemon! I've seen what he plans to do, and—"_

His body went through another spasm, and Lapras' warning was cut off by the soft chuckling of the imposter Pokemon. "Well, that was rather ironic, wasn't it?" He smirked. "But this time, I assure you that Lapras is gone for good. He has been, as some would call it, _erased from existence_."

"How...how could you?" Caz whispered in horror.

"Don't underestimate my powers, little Togetic," He responded, intentionally missing the point of her question. "And now, I suppose I have no use for this body anymore." His eyes went blank once again, and hi_s _mouth opened, shooting out a strange black mist. Immediately Lapras' body went cold.

Instantly, Lapras' body fell through the air, as the spell of the Sea of Time was broken. Chloe knew that they had to jump_ now_, but that didn't stop the onslaught of questions that invaded her mind. Who was this guy? Why was he doing this? Why them? And why poor Lapras?

_"Want revenge?" _ His teasing voice echoed in her mind. "_I'll be waiting at Temporal Tower. Be sure to come. If not, those weaklings from Treasure Town's guild are next."_

Chloe growled. This monster would_ not_ get away with this. "Lapras said to the far left!" She yelled at her team. "Jump, everybody!"

As they all leapt off together, Chloe couldn't help wondering if this was all just a horrible dream. Lapras couldn't be dead, he just couldn't be! Maybe they wouldn't make it and she'd wake up once they'd all hit the water. Yes, that would make s—

Her paws touched the soft ground of the Hidden Land, and that fantasy was shattered. No, this was all very real, and she had to face it like a leader. She stood up, brushed herself off, turned around...

...only to see the lifeless body of Lapras plummeting down into the ocean thousands of feet below.

(To Be Continued)


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my god, I'm SO sorry this took so long! I meant to finish this a long time ago, but school and, well, life got in the way. Fortunately, it's summer now, so chapter 3 should be up in no time! (By the way, when I say something like that, don't ever take my word for it. I'll probably end up being completely wrong)**

* * *

For the first time ever, Chloe felt completely powerless. Being tricked was one thing, but having one of her friends be possessed by some..._thing_, and said friend desperately trying to warn them, even sacrificing his life, and there was nothing they could do about it...it was a kind of humiliation and despair that she had never felt before.

As far as she knew, this was the first time that any of them had to face death, _real _death. Chloe knew that Eevee had been forced to cope with Grovyle and herself supposedly disappearing forever, but they had come back in the end, hadn't they? Chloe had no idea if Dialga, Arceus, or whoever it was that saved them would be so generous for a Lapras, even if he was the guardian of the Hidden Land.

"Well, Chloe?" Meowth's snarky drawl snapped her out of her thoughts. "I don't suppose you have another _brilliant_ idea to get us out of this?"

"Leave her alone," the normally passive Dratini snapped. "We're at as much fault here as she is."

"No, he's right," Chloe sighed, brushing away some tears that threatened to glide down her face. Leaders...leaders didn't cry. "I should've known something was wrong earlier. Now thanks to me, it looks like we're stuck here." She paused, gazing towards Temporal Tower. "Unless, of course..."

"Chloe, you can't!" Eevee cried, shaking her head in a panic. "What if he's tricking you again? If he can possess other Pokemon, what if he possesses you? What if..." She trailed off, her eyes starting to swim with tears. "What if you end up like Lapras?"

"Surely you know that this must be a trick?" Grovyle asked. "Whoever this Pokemon, or _thing_ is, he doesn't seem to be the type that plays fair. Besides...what does he want with us anyway?"

"But who says he won't keep murdering our friends until we face him?" Chloe pointed out. "_Anyone_ could be next; Marill and Azurill, Team Duskball, Wigglytuff's Guild! I can't risk anyone being hurt because of my cowardice!"

"Well...I'm going too!" Eevee announced, walking over to stand beside her partner. "We've defeated _Gods _together, so how can we be stopped by...a c-creature who can c-commit murder and w-wants to kill us all...?" She finished weakly, starting to shake as she realized what she was saying.

Chloe smiled gratefully at her partner, even after her terrible attempt at a speech. "Anybody else?" she asked. "The more the merrier, right?"

"I'm afraid I'm not very strong..." Caz said shyly, her wings fluttering gently. "...and I fear I might slow you down, but if you'll have me, I'd like to come with you."

Grovyle and Dratini exchanged glances before stepping forward at the same time. "This is probably going to get us killed," Grovyle muttered, shaking his head. "But I guess I'd rather fight and have a chance to win rather than stay here worrying about you three."

Meowth blinked when he realized that they were all staring at him expectantly. He groaned. "You gotta be kidding me." After an awkward silence, he sighed and reluctantly stepped forward. "Fine. But only because I don't wanna sit here and wait to get killed while you guys are doing...whatever you were planning to do."

"Okay, since there can't be more than four allowed in a dungeon at a time, let's split into two groups," Chloe decided. "Let's have...Dratini and Eevee with Grovyle, and Caz and Meowth with me."

Eevee let out a squeak of excitement and a blush started to creep over Dratini's face as they both realized they were partnered with Grovyle. He, on the other hand, sighed. This was going to be an interesting trip, all right...

* * *

"So," Meowth said quietly as the three of them trekked through the seemingly endless jungle. "Any ideas why this guy wanted us to meet at Temporal Tower? Or why he's after us in the first place?"

"No clue," Chloe answered. "I mean, every successful exploration team makes a few enemies, right? Eevee and I met a few in our day, like Team Skull, but those guys never did anything past some thievery and occasional roughing up. Even then, they weren't so much villains, more like rivals or bullies."

"So these Team Skull guys are the _only_ ones who would possibly hold a grudge against you?" Meowth responded in his sarcastic drawl. "No random enemy Pokemon that you've attacked for no reason in dungeons? How about the job requests that you've refused? Or perhaps all those exploration teams that challenged you to a fight and wound up completely humiliated? You don't think that one of them would consider the situation for a moment and think 'Hey! I want revenge!'?"

"Meowth, you're not helping," Caz scolded gently. "Just leave her alone."

Chloe pushed ahead of both of them, leading her teammates through the dungeon. The rogue Pokemon didn't seem as aggressive as they were the last time she had been here, but she wanted to avoid them as much as possible. They couldn't waste the precious time and energy they had.

Although she tried to focus on getting out of the dungeon as much as possible, Meowth's guilt trip hadn't exactly helped. It did, however, only strengthen her curiosity and anticipation of what awaited them at Temporal Tower. Who on earth hated them enough to murder those close to them? Dusknoir, perhaps, but he'd most likely prefer to get to the point and off them right then and there, but Dusknoir wouldn't do that now...no, it couldn't be him.

Whoever this Pokemon was, if it was even a Pokemon at all, was clearly trying to break them. And although Chloe didn't want to admit it, he or she had nearly succeeded at it. But they had to be stronger than that. Who knows what it would try next?

Caz's sharp intake of air broke Chloe out of her thoughts. "Chloe..." The Togetic began, wings fluttering in anticipation. "Is this it?"

The grass underneath her paws had started to wear away, revealing solid stone underneath. Looking up, she could see an ancient stone staircase in the distance, which presumably led to the Rainbow Stoneship. Even further off, there was the faintest outline of an all-too-familiar tower.

"Yeah," Chloe answered. "We're here."

* * *

"Oh! Lookie!" Eevee said excitedly. Her spirits had brightened considerably since the near-traumatic event that took place just a few hours ago; of course, spending them with Grovyle helped. "Here they come!"

She, Grovyle and Dratini had decided to rest on the steps to the Rainbow Stoneship while they waited for their fellow teammates to arrive. The latter two were studying the ancient relics in the shape of legendary Pokemon, and although Eevee tried to be invested as well, she had never found things like these interesting. After all, they were just really old drawings on a wall, right? But of course she had to be there, as she could never let Dratini be alone with _her_ Grovyle. Thankfully, spotting Chloe and the others had managed to break the monotony.

"It's about time you got here!" Eevee chided lightheartedly, racing towards her partner. "What took you so long?"

"Yeah...taking our time was probably a bad idea," Chloe rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. She turned to Meowth and Caz. "But at least we've got plenty of energy left, so we don't really need to take a rest, do we guys?"

"Oh yes, how _careless_ of us to dawdle," Meowth's retort was as sharp and bitter as ever. "I'm sure our newest enemy doesn't appreciate being kept waiting..."

"Well, he _does_ have a point," Grovyle, who had joined the rest of them, along with Dratini, admitted begrudgingly. "We can't waste any time. I just hope that the Rainbow Stoneship is working." He paused. "...Probably should've checked that earlier..."

The group made their way up the stone staircase, only to draw back in surprise when they noticed that there appeared to be a glow emanating from the top. It was bright enough to be seen clearly in broad daylight, and occasionally flickered to a different color. Chloe looked at Grovyle quizzically.

"I guess that means it's still running," He answered, albeit a little hesitantly. "But I never thought it would still be going strong after all this time..."

Sure enough, the lights of the Rainbow Stoneship shone brightly as they reached the top, almost as if welcoming them back. The stone looked shiny and polished, as if it had been made not even an hour ago. Eevee's Relic Fragment was sealed inside the center, waiting for its owner to return.

"So, Grovyle...how do we get this thing to take off again?" Eevee asked. "I mean, when I first put my Relic Fragment in, it started up right away, but it's sure not going anywhere now."

"I don't know!" Grovyle said in exasperation. "Do you think I know the answer to everything?!"

Eevee blinked. "Yeah."

"WELL, I DON'T!"

"What if it only activates once?" Dratini pointed out. "Since you guys went to Temporal Tower and did what you needed to do, maybe it fulfilled its function."

"But why would it still be glowing, then?" Grovyle wondered. "Unless _he_ tampered with it, I think it should still be good as new."

No sooner than he had finished speaking, the Rainbow Stoneship began to shake and make low clanging sounds as it collided with the rock surrounding it. The light shone brighter, and it began to rise up. Everyone stared at the rising Stoneship in disbelief, not completely registering what they were seeing. This was...a little too convenient. But could they really take any chances at this point?

Chloe let out a gasp as she broke out of her state of awe. She stared at the Stoneship in horror. It hadn't risen high enough yet...but it wouldn't be long now. They could still make it. She turned to her teammates, opening her mouth to alert them—

"Guys, we gotta jump!" Eevee cried, beating her to it. "It's gonna leave without us!"

Feeling a little embarrassed that no one else had noticed the overly-obvious, Chloe shot forward, bunching her muscles and leaping at the Rainbow Stoneship. Her stomach collided with the side, with her hind legs dangling off. Her paws scrabbled furiously at the stone, legs kicking wildly, until she managed to heave herself up.

Looking around, Chloe saw that Grovyle and Meowth had also made it, most likely with more ease than her. Well, that was all fine and dandy, but what about...?

"Here I go!" Eevee shouted excitedly, taking a running leap towards the Stoneship. She missed by about a foot, but her paws managed to grab onto the side. She struggled for a better grip, but that only managed to result in her paws slipping. Chloe whirled around and yanked her partner up by her neck fur.

"Dratini!" Grovyle yelled, leaning over the side, looking at her worriedly.

Dratini was staring up at the Rainbow Stoneship, tears starting to form in her widened eyes. The usually serene dragon Pokemon was trembling wildly. She had no arms or legs, how could she possibly make it? "I...I can't!" she whimpered. "Just leave me! You too, Caz!"

Caz was desperately trying to coax Dratini into jumping, climbing, doing _something_, which was quite out of character for her; usually _she_ was the one who had to be comforted. The Togetic kept looking back and forth from Dratini to the Rainbow Stoneship, as if requesting help from both sides.

"We're not leaving you, Dratini!" Chloe insisted.

"You're saying that like we have a choice," Meowth muttered, and was immediately kicked in the face by one of Chloe's hind legs.

"I'm not leaving either," Caz said, wrapping her arms around Dratini's neck. "I...I can fly us up there!"

"Caz, that's a lie and you know it!" Dratini cried angrily, tears starting to flow down her face now. "We both know I'm too heavy for you to carry!"

"B-but...I can try," Caz argued, starting to flap her wings. She and Dratini both rose off the ground...but that was it. They weren't going anywhere. Drops of sweat beaded on Caz's forehead as she struggled to flap her wings harder. They slowly, but surely continued to rise, but the Rainbow Stoneship was rising faster.

Dratini hung her head. "It's no use," she said miserably. "We'll never make it like this. Just go, Caz."

"No!" Caz answered stubbornly.

Back on the Rainbow Stoneship, Grovyle was just barely managing to keep himself from losing it. "We have to do something!" He insisted repeatedly. "Isn't there anything we could use as a rope or something?"

"I have a few Power Bands and stuff in the Treasure Bag," Chloe responded. "But I don't think they're long enough..."

"H-help..." They heard Caz gasp from somewhere beside them. Chloe's eyes widened. _It can't be...we're too high up! How could she have reached us this fast?_

But sure enough, as they all peered over the side, there were Caz and Dratini, practically within reach. Caz's wings were going faster than Chloe had ever seen them; in fact, she wasn't sure if Togetic wings were even supposed to _go_ that fast.

"Come on, Caz!" Chloe encouraged, holding out a paw to the two of them. "You can do it! Just a little further...!" But to her surprise, Caz's wings became a blur as she shot upward, before nose-diving directly onto the Rainbow Stoneship.

Dratini groaned in pain at the impact, but all that was forgotten when she realized that they had actually made it. They were safe! She felt Grovyle's arms wrap around her protectively, and she nuzzled him happily; both were completely oblivious to Eevee's shocked and hurt expression.

Chloe nudged Caz's side gently with her nose, but the Togetic didn't respond. Her eyes were shut, although her chest rose and fell slowly. Her wings twitched occasionally, as if in shock.

"She must be exhausted," Chloe commented, relieved that the experience hadn't near killed the gentle Togetic. "We should probably just let her rest."

"Um, guys?" Meowth spoke up, pointing to the opposite side of where the rest of them were facing. "Does Temporal Tower always look so dark, ominous, and run-down?"

"Meowth, what're you talking about...?" Chloe turned around; rolling her eyes, but froze up in horror when she saw the current state of the majestic tower. "...Oh."

The once beautiful temple of time looked like it was about to topple any second, the clouds around the top were a dark indigo, and just looking at it gave her a feeling of unease. Clearly _he_ had gotten here before them and decided to have a bit of fun with the place. But how had he managed to accomplish this? Surely Dialga would've...oh Arceus. Chloe paled. Not Dialga too...

The Stoneship began to slow down as it neared the edge of the floating tower. Chloe tensed. Well...they were just about there. But what would happen once they got there? Would this Pokemon, whoever he was, appear before them and explain his actions? Or would the battle immediately start once they got there?

The Rainbow Stoneship came to a halt right at the edge of the tower's base. Eevee hesitantly stepped off, taking a quick look around.

"I don't see anybody..." She remarked.

"How do you even know what you're supposed to be looking for?" Meowth piped up. "None of us knows what this guy looks like."

Eevee's face fell into a frustrated pout. "I know he's some kind of living creature," she retorted. "And there aren't any of those around here!"

As the two of them bickered, Chloe turned to Caz, who was still sleeping peacefully, and gently nudged her awake.

"Mmm?" The Togetic blinked sleepily. "We're here already?"

"Yeah, but don't let your guard down yet," Chloe told her. "I just know this guy's gonna try something, so we don't want to be caught by surprise."

As Chloe stepped off the Rainbow Stoneship, followed by Caz, Grovyle, and Dratini, Eevee waved to them from where she was standing by the entrance to the tower.

"Okay, guys!" She called. "We should probably get g—!" She was abruptly cut off as her eyes went blank and she flopped motionlessly to the ground, as if she had been struck from behind. But there was no one behind her.

"Eevee!" Chloe cried in alarm. She ran over to her fallen partner, and was relieved to hear a heartbeat when she pressed her ear against the fluffy chest. She was only knocked out. Chloe turned to the rest of her team, prepared to tell them that Eevee was fine, but what she saw caused the words to get caught in her throat.

Everyone else was lying motionless on the ground, in the same state that Eevee was. Panic and fear tore at Chloe from inside, and she struggled to keep calm.

_W-what's going on? What do I do?_

All of her instincts were screaming at her to abandon her teammates and run, and she had to admit, the idea of that didn't sound too bad right now. And the fact that she was actually agreeing terrified her.

All of Chloe's panic was immediately shut down by a sharp blow to the head from someone behind her. The last thing she realized before her world went black was: _This is exactly what he wanted..._

(To Be Continued...)

* * *

**I'll be honest, I'm not too proud of some scenes in this chapter, most notably the scene with Caz's bizarre show of super strength. Normally I'd delete it and write something else, but I'm just too lazy. **

**Hope you enjoyed...**


	3. Chapter 3

_A Gengar watched as his fellow ghost and dark types dragged the six unconscious Pokemon over to a tree, placing them on the ground next to it. He couldn't help seeing a few holes in his Leader's plan. After all, they were just leaving them out in the open, not separating them, and not even taking their belongings!_

_The Gengar sighed. The Boss's mind worked in strange ways, but who was he to question the plan? As far as he knew, it might all be working out perfectly. He shook his head and, knowing that they might awaken soon, he motioned to the rest of the Pokemon, and led them away through the forest._

* * *

Chloe awoke with a dull throbbing at the back of her head. She half-consciously reached up with her paw to brush against the offending area, only to find that her fur at that spot was matted and stuck together in somewhat sticky clumps.

_What...happened to me? _she wondered; all the confusion, pain, guilt, and anger she was feeling was making her slightly dizzy. _Where am I? And where's everyone else? Am I all alone here?_

She felt something warm, wet, and sticky soak into her palm. It had a metallic stench that made her stomach churn. _Oh Arceus, I'm bleeding. _Everything that had happened in the previous hours flashed back to her, making her feel lightheaded. _We just keep digging ourselves deeper, huh? How long was I out for, anyway? Judging by how dark it is, it must be nighttime by now._

Using one paw to prop herself up, and the other to protect the back of her head in case she lost her balance, Chloe peered into the darkness, searching desperately for anyone she knew. Maybe Dratini would appear out of the dark, carrying food and medicine supplies; or maybe it would be Eevee, ready to give her some friendly comfort; or maybe Wigglytuff would show up and explain that this whole thing was just a late April Fool's Day joke.

But there was no one. And even if there was, she couldn't see two inches in front of her face in this darkness.

Pushing herself up onto all fours, Chloe began to helplessly pace in circles, which she considered a new low, even after everything she'd been put through that day.

_Getting kidnapped is one thing…..BUT PACING IN CIRCLES WHILE I WAIT TO BE RESCUED?! I mean...I FOUGHT LEGENDARY POKEMON, FOR CRYIN_'_ OUT LOUD!_

Focusing on the only thing she was able to see in the dark: a tree trunk; Chloe, not exactly in a correct state of mind at this point, charged at it blindly.

_Burn it down, snap it in two, I don't care, at least it'll prove I'm not dead! _The panicked Vulpix let out a determined yell and tucked her head down, charging at the trunk. Of course, she harmlessly bounced right off.

She knocked her head against the ground when she went flying backwards, and the back of her head started to sting again, more sharply this time. Chloe inwardly facepalmed when she realized she must've re-opened the wound, or at least opened it more. Well, great. She was all alone in a strange place, teetering on the edge of the insanity cliff, while buckets of blood were spilling from her head. Her breath came out in ragged gasps, and her shoulders started to shake.

"…Chloe?" a familiar voice asked timidly.

The Vulpix's eyes widened, and she jerked her head up, searching for the owner of that voice, despite the fact that it was pitch-black everywhere. "C-Caz?" she stammered, not quite believing it. "Is that you?"

"Yes, but more importantly, are you alright?" Even though it was too dark to see her expression, the Togetic's voice sounded worried. "I-I heard you scream and run right into the tree...I thought for a second that you'd completely lost your mind."

"Don't worry, I'm fine...now," Chloe assured her after a brief hesitation, but wasn't sure if she believed it herself. "Anyway, where's everybody else? And what is this place?"

"I don't know..." Caz sighed. There was a pause. "But, um...you _do_ realize that you're a fire-type, right?"

Chloe frowned in confusion, not really sure what that had to do with anything. "Yeah, so?"

"Well, er, call me crazy..." Caz began. "...but I just had this idea...that if you used Flamethrower or something, we'd be able to light up the area and get a good look at where we are." She went quiet for a moment. "Of course, if you have a better idea..."

Chloe blinked. Well, this was embarrassing. She almost wished Caz would call her an idiot and shove the obvious solution in her face. Somehow, her being so _nice_ about it felt worse than taunting.

"R-right," Chloe agreed, thankful that the darkness (and her fur) hid her embarrassed blush from Caz. "Anyway..." She pushed herself up to face away from the direction of Caz's voice, so that the fire wouldn't hit her. _Flamethrower. _The single word, no, more of a command, echoed through her mind. She much preferred using attacks this way instead of calling them out, like most other Pokemon did.

The next thing she knew, the tree she had just run into was on fire. Chloe winced as she watched the flames spread across the branches. _Of all the directions I could've been facing...! _She knew she should probably have a stronger reaction, but to be honest, after everything that had happened that day, this was the least of her problems.

"Chloe!" She heard Caz cry.

"It was an accident!" she protested, raising her front paws in defense.

"No—look!" The Togetic pointed to the base of the tree trunk, where four Pokemon could clearly be seen lying in the ground, along with a Treasure Bag. "It's Eevee, Meowth, Dratini, and Grovyle!"

As if on cue, Eevee sleepily opened her eyes and yawned, only to casually glance up and jump back with a shriek when she saw the flames. "Chloe? Caz?" She called uncertainly, looking back and forth from her teammates to the tree. "What's going on? Where are we?"

"We'll explain later," Chloe answered, now at Meowth's side and pulling on the Special Band around his neck in an attempt to wake him up. "Right now we need to get everybody out of here!"

"Okay, I'm awake, I'm awake!" Meowth muttered, not completely registering what was going on. "Would ya let go? You're choking me!"

"Sorry," Chloe apologized, releasing her grip on the band. "Come on, we have to put the fire out!"

"Fire…?" Meowth echoed in confusion. "What do you—?" he glanced up. "WHOA! Uh, okay….." The cat Pokemon stood up and dusted himself off. "Alright, so does anybody here know a water type move? Because I sure don't."

"I don't think _anyone_ here does," Dratini, who, along with Grovyle, had been woken up by Caz and Eevee, answered worriedly. "I'm the only one of us who _can_ learn a water type move, but I only know Slam, Twister, Dragon Rush, and Outrage."

"I suppose that means there's nothing we can do," Grovyle admitted reluctantly. "But how did this even happen in the first place?"

"It's...a long story," Chloe mumbled, feeling her face growing hot again. _A leader shouldn't be making stupid mistakes like these!_

"No way!" Eevee protested. "There's gotta be something! Like...um...oh, I know! We can put it out with sand!" She paused. "Except...none of us know Sand-Attack. And...and there's no sand here."

"_Light..." _

Chloe's ear twitched as she picked up the whisper. The voice sounded depraved and desperate, and definitely not sane. Taking a quick look over her shoulder, she could see eyes peering out of the bushes, fixated on the burning tree. All of the eyes had a wild, primitive look in them; something that didn't exactly radiate friendliness.

"Guys..." The Vulpix spoke up quietly, not taking her eyes off the bushes. "I think we're gonna need to get out of here..."

Meowth followed the direction she was looking and bristled when he saw the eyes. "Who are _they_?"

"Pokemon, maybe?" Dratini suggested in a hushed tone.

"I don't think they're interested in us," Grovyle commented, calm as ever. "They seem to only want the light. As long as we don't panic, we should be able to get away without much trouble."

"Guys, I figured it out!"

The rest of the exploration team turned around to see Eevee holding a used TM proudly. "I found a TM for Dig in the Treasure Bag!" she announced, oblivious to the entire conversation they just had. "Now we can put the fire out!"

Before anyone could stop her, Eevee dove underground, only to reappear a second later, smothering the tree with rocks, sand and dirt. The last thing she saw before the light went out was the horrified expressions of her teammates.

The forest immediately became alive with animalistic hisses and growls. Chloe smacked her paw to her forehead in frustration, desperately trying to come up with a way to get them out of this. They couldn't fight something they couldn't see, and there weren't any useful Orbs in the Treasure Bag last she checked, so the only possible escape route was...to run.

Remembering that Eevee was the closest to her, she bumped against her partner's side, giving her a gentle, yet urgent shove forward. "Come on, we're getting out of here!" she told her, but loud enough so that the rest of the team could hear. "Don't think about it, just run!"

Making sure she stayed by Eevee's side, Chloe raced blindly through the darkness, leading her team (or so she hoped) away from those Pokemon, or whatever they were. Silently she prayed that she wouldn't smack right into another tree, as she couldn't see an inch in front of her face.

"Chloe..." Eevee panted, her voice thick with childlike innocence. "Did...did I do something wrong back there? I thought that's what we wanted, to put the fire out."

"You'll pay for that later," Chloe responded with a playful smirk. "You're just lucky you didn't get us killed back there."

_Well, at least you didn't get US killed back there,_ Chloe thought worriedly, her smile disappearing. _Where's everybody else gotten to? I'm sure they heard me telling Eevee to run, but I hope they didn't try to fight or something….oh Arceus, what if they got caught? What if they need our help? This is all my f—_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Eevee tugging at the Sky Blue Bow around her neck. "Can we stop here?" the evolution Pokemon suggested. "I think we lost them. Besides, I'm tired."

"Let's go just a little further," Chloe compromised. "Just to be on the safe side."

_No, calm down,_ she told herself. _Meowth and Grovyle are too fast to get caught, Caz can fly, and Dratini can hold her own as well, but she's probably being protected by Grovyle anyway. Eevee's the weakest of all of us, so isn't that why I brought her with me, instead of someone else?_

Her nerves somewhat calmed, Chloe found her eyes adjusting to the darkness as she could make out the faint outline of some bushes. "Let's go there," she suggested. "We'll be hidden while we wait for everybody else."

"Okay!" Eevee chirped, sounding peppy and cheerful once again.

As the two of them settled on the ground behind the bushes, Eevee tucked her nose under her tail and closed her eyes. "So how'd we get here anyway?" she asked sleepily.

Chloe raised an eyebrow at Eevee's lack of concern. "Well, you got knocked out at Temporal Tower, and then I guess the rest of us did, too." She absentmindedly reached up to touch the stinging lump on the back of her head, which was still bleeding, to her dismay. "So this guy that we're after, whoever he is, must've taken us here...but why? And more importantly, how do we get back?"

Eevee swallowed nervously, but her reply was drowned out by the rustling of leaves, and some irritated grumbling in its direction. Chloe cautiously peered behind the bush to see a familiar catlike outline appearing to be aimlessly wandering around in the dark. "_Meowth?" _she whispered, a few of the guilty knots in her chest loosening.

"—Pitch black out here! How am I supposed to find the stupid berries—?"

"Meowth?" Eevee echoed loudly, climbing on top of Chloe (flattening her to the ground in the process) for a better look, even though neither of them could see any better than the other in the dark. "Where? Is Grovyle with him too?"

Chloe winced and flattened her ears. _Wake up the whole forest, why don't you? _And of course, Eevee being as obnoxiously loud as she was, Meowth had heard her.

"Eevee, is that you?" he called. "And I guess it's safe to assume that Chloe's with you too? Good thing you guys didn't die or something when you _courageously _left the rest of us to fend for ourselves." Meowth's words were harsh, but he sounded merely annoyed. Chloe wondered if maybe he felt genuinely relieved that the she and Eevee were alive.

"It's nice to see you too," Chloe spoke up, rolling her eyes. She knew that Meowth's mood was usually sourer, and considering the situation, that was surprising. She hoped to make the best of it. "So, did you happen to see Grovyle, Caz or Dratini?"

"Oh...yeah, I did..." he admitted, sounding almost guilty. He self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, I know where they are; we were hiding together. It's just...well, I'll show you. C'mon."

Chloe and Eevee exchanged curious glances, not understanding why their teammate was acting this way. "Did…..did something happen?" The Vulpix asked cautiously.

"...Yeah," came the curt reply. "You should probably see for yourselves." He motioned for them to follow him, and began to walk deeper into the forest. Chloe looked at her partner, who was chewing her bottom lip nervously. She took a deep breath, and broke into a run to catch up to Meowth.

* * *

"A cave?" Eevee exclaimed excitedly, apprehension long forgotten as Meowth showed them where the rest of the team was currently residing. "Awesome! How'd you guys even find this in the dark?"

Meowth just shrugged and led them into it. Chloe could see a faint glow reflecting off the walls, and it appeared to be coming from deeper inside the cave. She guessed that Grovyle and the others must've lit a fire in there. _But in a cave, though? Won't the smoke get trapped inside?_

"Is that you, Meowth?" Caz's voice called as they neared the place the light seemed to be emanating from. "Did you get the herbs and berries?"

"No, but I found something better," Meowth answered, grinning.

Chloe saw that as her cue to reveal herself. She ran forward, Eevee on her tail, to greet her fellow teammates. But when she turned the corner, the smile fell from her face.

"...Dratini?" Eevee spoke up timidly, her voice higher-pitched than usual and fearful.

The dragon Pokemon's eyes were closed, her head resting on Grovyle's lap, taking slow, shallow breaths. Chloe felt a cry welling up in her throat when she saw that her teammate had gashes running down her body, starting from her neck and ending at the tip of her tail. Blood was still trickling down from the wounds, as if the sight wasn't gruesome enough.

She rushed towards Dratini, but immediately doubled back when she saw Caz. She blinked, staring in disbelief at the Togetic. "Are you _glowing?!_"

Caz gave her a shy smile. "I'm using Flash. It was out of pure chance, actually, since I got it by using Metronome. We're so lucky," she added. "In the dark, we probably wouldn't have seen how serious Dratini's wounds were, and wouldn't have been able to treat them." She paused. "Well...we haven't treated them yet, but you see my point."

"Well, at least you two seem to be alright," Grovyle spoke up quietly, careful not to disturb the injured dragon-type. Chloe didn't detect any bitterness in his voice, but then again, he was good at hiding things like that.

"How did this happen?" Eevee wondered, eyes wide and concerned. Dratini may be her rival when it came to her crush on Grovyle, but she was still her teammate, and her friend.

"The four of us were being chased by those...Pokemon, if you could even call them that," Grovyle explained. "After a while, we thought we had managed to escape them, but when we were just outside of this cave, they suddenly appeared and cornered us."

"We would've been able to run away again if I wasn't so slow," Caz interrupted bitterly, sounding slightly choked up. "They tried to attack me, a-and Dratini, she—"

"Slow?" Meowth echoed in disbelief. "Caz, those guys just came out of nowhere! They _jumped_ you!" He slapped his paw to his forehead in exasperation when the Togetic continued to sob. "Okay, okay, _I'll_ tell the story, then." He paused to recall where she had left off before continuing.

"When Caz got attacked, Dratini literally threw herself between them to protect her," Meowth's manner of speaking was still casual, but his tone was suddenly a lot more serious. "And there was like, twenty of these guys, so Grovyle and I tried to help fight them off, but she was right in the middle of all of it. But you know, for half-starved demon Pokemon..._things_, they were surprisingly strong. We're lucky Caz got Roar of Time when she used Metronome, otherwise we would've been done for."

Chloe's heart sank, and she felt her ears lower in shame. She had nearly gotten her teammates killed by her own cowardice. _I may have protected Eevee, but we should've fought our way through together, as a team, like we always do._

Caz raised her head up and wiped her tears, trying to compose herself. "A-anyway, you guys had the Treasure Bag with all our supplies, so we couldn't do much to help her, that's why I sent Meowth out to get berries. But now that you're here—"

"Oh, right!" Eevee nodded, slipping the strap of the Treasure Bag off her shoulder. "Dratini probably packed some medicine, didn't she?" She frowned, and tilted her head thoughtfully. "But...do you know how to use it?"

"Well, for the most part, no," Caz admitted. "But, from how I've seen Dratini do it, I think all I need to do is clean and bandage the wounds...it should be simple enough." The Togetic's timid voice betrayed the brave face she was attempting to put on.

"The rest of you should get some sleep," Grovyle suggested. "In the morning we can get our bearings and find a way home. I can keep watch in the meantime."

Caz smiled gratefully. "Thank you…"

"Good idea," Chloe agreed, scoping out a particularly comfortable-looking corner of the cave and curling up in it. She had spent enough time feeling sorry for herself today. For now, she should be thankful that things turned out as good as they did.

"Maybe we can even find some local Pokemon to give us directions back home!" Eevee suggested brightly.

"If they're anything like the ones we encountered earlier, I think we're better off on our own," Chloe said darkly, seeing Caz shudder at her words.

"Hence why he's keeping a lookout," Meowth pointed out, jerking his thumb in Grovyle's direction. "Y'know, so _that_ doesn't happen again." He didn't even have to specify what 'that' was.

"Let's not make it easier for them, shall we?" Grovyle muttered as he made his way to the entrance of the cave, smirking as silence immediately followed his words.

Sitting down next to the mouth of the cave and folding his arms behind his head, the wood gecko Pokemon stared vigilantly into the night. He had expected to hear leaves rustling and branches swaying in the wind, but it was dead quiet. Perhaps this area was just calm at night, but after seeing the kinds of Pokemon that lived here, Grovyle knew that couldn't be the case. Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something hauntingly familiar about this place...

(To Be Continued)

* * *

**I really enjoyed writing this one. Even though Chloe's drowning in guilt and Dratini is pretty much out of commission, I like having the characters interact with each other and getting out of peril. **

**It was also a lot of fun to make Chloe just snap like that at the beginning, showing that even though she's the leader, there's still things she's afraid of, like being alone, for example.**

**So where exactly are they? And who exactly is behind this? The latter will be revealed at another time, but as for the former: Find out next time, on PMD: Hunted!**

**And here's a disclaimer, because I haven't done one in a while: PMD and all things Pokemon belong to Game Freak. Or was it Nintendo? Oh well, it certainly isn't mine. **


End file.
